A signature item of “Huskers Night” is the Royals hat with the Husker color scheme. These hats will only be distributed at Gate A and can only be purchased by fans that have the Husker theme night ticket.

The Husker-themed Royals hat has been a popular item at the annual “Huskers Night at the K.”

“Just because you show up, or just because you’re an alumnus doesn’t mean you can get the hat,” Cook said.

Another driving force behind the high attendance numbers on “Huskers night” is the continued presence of former Husker, Lincoln native and five-time Gold Glove winner Alex Gordon. The three-time All Star outfielder is in his 12th season with the Royals.

Cook remains confident that Gordon’s hometown fans will still fill the seats to watch him, even though Kansas City has only won five total games since June 1.

“He’s such a hometown hero in two different towns,” Cook said. “It’s been very big. It still seems like when you say Nebraska is traveling down to be at ‘Huskers Night’ or anything else with the Royals, Alex Gordon is the first guy that everybody references.”

Gordon is batting .247 this season with five home runs. Anything Gordon does in a game is usually a news item in Lincoln – another reason why Cook believes this theme night is more successful than others.

“When we put anything out about the Royals, it kind of gets into Lincoln,” Cook said. “It has not been much of a struggle to penetrate that, but certainly the University has played a huge role in us getting the word out.”

You can contact Tommy at 402-840-5226, or you can follow him on Twitter @Tommy_KLIN.